The present disclosure relates to a multifunctional nanocellular single crystal nickel material and to a process for manufacturing same.
In gas turbine engines, it is advantageous to form various engine components from multifunctional materials. This is because even small additions of these materials to the engine results in significant gains in efficiency. In this regard, it has been proposed to use cellular solids, such as foams or porous materials, to form structural components.
Conventional metallic foams can be produced from compacted powders containing blowing agents, such as adsorbed gases, that decompose when the metal powder is heated above its melting point. The gas foams the melt producing a porous solid upon solidification. Metal foams of this type typically have pores in the millimeter size range and with mechanical properties not suitable for gas turbine application. In particular, a cellular solid or foam with porosity may not stand up to applied stresses or impacts.